My Happy Ending
by J. Maria
Summary: What if some force was working to make your life better? Would you take her at face value?


Title: My Happy Ending

Part: Prologue: Messing With Perfection

Author: Jmaria

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I do not own them. Joss Whedon, JK Rowling, and Mercedes Lackey own them. I do own the three or four original characters you will see in this fic.

Spoilers: For Firefly, Buffy - just general mainly but through the series finale of them, all of the HP books (just to be safe), elements of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series, and possibly others if I wrap my head around it.

Story Summary: What if some force worked to make your life better? Would you take her at face value?

Part Summary: A small wager made eons ago has one being regretting her career choice.

A/N: I never saw Firefly when it was on TV, but I bought the dvd, and as I was watching it, this story plopped itself in my head, and well, real life kind of pushed the idea in my head. The title is from one of my newer favorite songs by Avril Lavigne. (Stop with the eye rolling) Any way, I've been stuck in work, and it's put a minor halt to the writing aspect of my life (that and the lack of internet) so many apologies on not being on top of everyone's favorite fics. They are being difficult and very whiny, which makes me ignore them. Anyway, the first mentioned characters are pretty much all original characters, and the actual crossing of 'verse's won't happen until I've established each world and what point they are in.

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My Happy Ending

Prologue: Messing With Perfection

Smoke blurred the vision of many of the bar's customers. It was dank, dark, and more smoky than usual, but compensations needed to be met, and this was one of them. She sighed heavily, stirring the drink placed before her. _He_ insisted they meet like this, so as not to alert the big bad, annoyance. You'd think that Noth-Tughal was the man - or being - in charge. She stirred her little purple drink with the simulated cherry.

"Prompt as always, my dear."

"A millennia or twelve will prepare one for these little bouts of discretional meetings Urall." She smiled sweetly at the bartender. "Can I get another one of these delightful drinks?" Her eyes became steely as she turned her gaze to Urall. "Nemoaha's getting a delightful little kick out of this outrageous bet Noth-Tughal is holding me to, isn't she?" She spoke harshly at the young looking man at her side.

"Nemmie doesn't quite hate you all that much, my dear."

"His bet is ludicrous. He's had nothing to do with my field for more than I care to recall. He's not exactly suited to my business, Urall." She spat, narrowing her eyes at the man seated beside her. "His field is far bloodier than mine."

"Yes, well, Charton-Ungrall blessed the pact, and the time is ripe for you to do your end." A slender eyebrow arched at this.

"Still mourning your beloved priestess, Urall?" She smiled softly, the mocking tone she'd been all prepared to fling in his face vanishing. Countless ages had passed, and yet the hurt was still too raw for some.

"Nemmie mourns for her less." The dark haired man said quietly, his pale eyes focusing on something just over her shoulder.

"Yes, well, she contends to all of humanity. One loss is damn near insignificant compared to the rest she clips short on a regular basis." She said softly. "We're not as lucky as she is. She feels the years, we merely jump about like great big flopping fish in water. There one moment, simply gone the next."

Silence reigned over them for several moments. Murmurs floated through the air, deafening to her fragile ears. She smiled. It would be so simple to just slip back - to save Charton-Ungrall. But Nemoaha had forbidden fiddling with her work. Even when it came to a loved one of them all.

"Charton - she was the reason for this bet. A bet you willingly walked into, my dear. Achanay -"

"I couldn't let _him _have her." She narrowed her eyes as she gazed up into Urall's. "She was under my dominion for more of her life. She was pure. . . and something so pure didn't deserve that." Achanay rolled her eyes. "But then, Noth always had some sway over Nemoaha than neither you or I ever did."

"Nemoaha favors no one." A hard gleam came over Urall's face, "She is bound by her blood to her task. She threads - she does not favor."

"I know the speech by heart, Urall. I don't need you to bore me further with it." She took another sip of her drink. "Nemoaha has never worked in anyone's favor, Urall. She's so tightly bound to that task of hers, that she has neither the time to breathe nor to simply be. And she resents you for making her as such. And giving us so much freedom."

Achanay could go on, saying that it was this reason she favor Noth's precise destruction, or that she'd personally targeted the only offspring that Urall had in the world. Anger swelled up in her, as was more often these days, for the stress of the current situation.

"You speak unkindly, Achanay."

"I speak truthfully while you choose to hid behind pretenses, Urall." Her eyes flashed darkly as she went on. "You could have intervened on Charton's behalf, or even on Jesse's but you didn't. You feel guilty for how you've left her, so you give into her idiotic wishes. I've intervened twice for your children, and what has it gotten me? Nothing but grief."

"No one made you do it, Achanay." Urall seemed a little embarrassed at this. "No one asked you to intervene."

"No, they didn't. But you, _Father_, you made me that way." She said pointedly.

Silence filled out between them, one too angry to speak anymore, the other far too uncomfortable with the discussion.

"Noth will meet you in two days time. Be prepared for anything."

"And whenever did the King become the Messenger boy." Achanay gulped down the rest of her drink. Her eyes drifted over to where a small group was entering. A tall man, strapped down with weapons hunkered down at the table, too concerned with finding a stiff drink than with actually keeping on his toes.

"Watch yourself, Achanay."

"I always do, Urall." She gestured for another drink, before turning to him once more. "I'm the only one who will watch out for me." She turned away, listening to something he would never be able to hear again.

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One hell of a pickle you put yourself in, chica. A male voice washed over her.

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Do not be rude, she is doing her very best. This is a stressful situation. A low voiced female chided him.

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You would know, sis. You put her in it. He snorted.

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As if your immortal soul does not rest on her shoulders as well.

"Would the two of you kindly shut it, so I may think?" She took the resounding silence in her mind as a yes.

She felt at the piece of paper in her pocket. Her choices. She would waited with baited breath to see who Noth had chosen. And she had a feeling she would pity whomever she was to match them to.

For that was their bargain. He would pick a dozen individuals and she would make successes of them. As couples. For the souls of Urall's two mortal children, who'd died at Nemoaha's tapestry.

"Well, my day just got a whole lot interesting. And easier." She sighed heavily as she turned her gaze to where the man was stuffing his face. She grimaced at the display. And he was one of _her_ choices.

This was gonna be one hell of a week.


End file.
